Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

There have been several complaints about the reception area where visitors to your company arrive. Your manager has asked you to suggest how the reception area could be improved.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter

• describe the complaints that have been made
• say why the reception area is important
• suggest how the reception area could be improved

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Kunal,

I hope all my staff members are good. you all are doing well in my company as I see from last 6 year. I got your mail regarding reception area improvement last week.

As we see that this area looking dull just because short space when I open company no one suggest that reception area is main area for visiting person and first place to make any client first impression.

Now my family and board leader decided to improve this area with the help of other staff member, so I suggest you to held meeting regarding this, so we all put our ideas to making visitor experience good as they are our clients.

I my option we should add one more room as reception area for just seating and waiting area when someone take break and just relax. With this also we add water tank near that so each person who are hurry in work take some break and drink fresh water. Moreover, add some air-conditioned and plants for better waiting experience.

so next Monday help a meeting and tell all staff member to join us and be ready with their ideas.

your sincerely,

ram

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the complaints, the importance of the area, and suggestions for improvement. However, the tone is inconsistent and confusing. You address the manager as 'Kunal' but then write as if you are the owner ('when I open company'), which contradicts the prompt's instruction to write to your manager. This confusion regarding the persona makes the task achievement less effective. While the ideas are relevant, the development is somewhat limited by the unclear perspective and the informal, slightly disjointed structure. To improve, ensure your role is clearly defined and maintained throughout the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'In my option' (likely meaning 'In my opinion') and 'With this also we add'. The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, and the logical progression is hindered by the confusing shift in perspective mentioned in the task achievement section. While the overall arrangement is coherent enough to be understood, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the occasional misuse of referencing make the flow feel somewhat disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'looking dull', 'main area', and 'good'. There are several errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'board leader' (likely 'board of directors'), 'held meeting' (should be 'hold a meeting'), and 'in my option' (should be 'in my opinion'). These errors do not prevent communication, but they do limit the professional tone required for a business letter. Expanding your vocabulary to include more formal business terminology would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There is a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You make frequent errors with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, such as 'I see from last 6 year' (should be 'I have seen over the last 6 years') and 'when someone take break' (should be 'takes a break'). Punctuation is also problematic, with missing articles and incorrect capitalization throughout. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of grammatical slips and awkward phrasing indicates a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of basic sentence construction.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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